Kumbira began as the 1st Cagayan de Oro Cultural and Culinary Festival on August 23, 1996, a very modest one-day event by today’s standards even though the Cagayan de Oro City Council passed a resolution declaring it a one week celebration on August 23-30.
However, COHARA wanted something local, so while discussing what name was most appropriate, the Board thought that when Kagay-anons have a fiesta or celebration they would say “Mag Kumbira!” the local term here in Cagayan de Oro which sounded truly ours. So beginning the next year in August, 1997 the festival became known as Kumbira!
The original COHARA Logo and Kumbira wordmark were designed by Ingrid Agudo, one of COHARA’s founding members, with the Kumbira icon added later .
The logo was refined and developed over time with most of the work done by Jocelyn Gordiel Balbon of Cagayan River View Hotel, who was also a member of the COHARA Board at the time.
She is still doing some of the artworks and designs for COHARA and Kumbira’s 30th Anniversary.
“In 1998 our Kumbira backdrop was still styling the event name without the current symbol,” recalls Ms. Jocelyn. “But our 2000 backdrop already shows the Kumbira logo, so based on the photo documentation I have, the current logo was already in use by 2000.”
She continued working on the Kumbira logo for the festival’s 15th Anniversary in 2011, and refined it again in 2013.
The version refined in 2013 has been continued to be used up to the present.
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